Reidy once asked Kelman to read an e-mail he had written that was critical of how Plumtree management--including Kelman--handled a deal.

FORBES: The Plumtree Software Soap Opera

The cookie is created when users read an unsolicited e-mail with graphics in it, such as a banner advertisement off the Web, Smith said in a conference call.

CNN: Privacy groups ask FTC to close e-mail loophole

Government officials say they have read stored e-mails in the past, because it was too hard to get a search warrant for an e-mail while it is in transmission.

NPR: Federal Court: Stored E-Mails Are Protected

Take for example an e-mail I received from a California firefighter who read my book about the optimism bias.

CNN: Why we fool ourselves into optimism

What hiring manager is going to make a decision based on an e-mail attachment when they can browse your LinkedIn and Facebook profiles, read the gory details in your blog and hit Google to find out more about you -- good or bad -- all in one sitting?

CNN: Are social media making the resume obsolete?